Pit Stop in Campeche
We rolled into Campeche after two long days of driving to find that the place we had rented was double-booked and we were out of luck. To be fair, this was the first this had happened across dozens of reservations on this trip, but it hits you the same no matter the scenario. I felt I had done something wrong, that everything was more tenuous than expected, that we were over my head maybe. It was a poor way to be introduced to any city.
So we rallied. The hotel we ended up with was far better than my initial choice – closer to town, funky, responsive staff and a dip pool to boot. More expensive, yes, so we cut our stay short and made do with what we had. All of a sudden, it was hot again and without shade and we found out that the Yucatan peninsula was going to be different than all that we had done so far.
Campeche had some problems with pirates and it’s this history that is the primary draw. The old town is contained behind existent pieces of the old wall, a clear distinction between it and the bustle of everything on the outside. It makes for a kind of Disney-fied interior, sanitized, overly neat, a little devoid of character. But even this comes into its own as the sun dips below the horizon. The truth is, there’s little shade amongst these low, brightly coloured buildings. During the day, tourists scuttle between bits of shade. Come back after sunset for a much more lively experience – what looked closed or out of business springs to life.
And of course, Campeche is situated on a gentle bay along the Gulf, as well. Here they have a long, well maintained malecon, running both ways from the old city. Sarah and I got out for a jog one morning, all the way to the end (to the north/east) where you’ll find newer malls and restaurants as well as a stinky mud flat. Not sure what lies to the other direction, but my guess is the entire thing runs for almost 10 kilometers.
It was a welcome change from the last few stops as well as the mountains before that. There were tourist again(!) along with the sites and facilities you might expect. I’m saying like a three out of ten, but this is far more than we had seen for some time. We needed it and didn’t argue (except for an annoying British expat who was telling her friend all she needed to know about living here in the special annoying way reserved for English travellers). Instead, we’d chat about the tourists we saw or discuss where they might be from and how they got here of all places. We were coming into the Yúcatan – we knew the tourist count would increase – but were still a long ways from Cancun. Obviously, we were here, come overland the long way, yet I can’t help but be curious of how others found their way.
There was a convenient market, the best we’d seen so far – teeming with interesting fruits and vegetables. It was mango season at last and the avocados were enormous, a promise of what was to come. Our hotel had a small kitchen that we made the most of, we got deals on giant beers and generally had a wonderful time. Highly recommend! A new chapter was here – now on to Mérida!
[A quick side note on the drive to Campeche from Villahermosa: there are not good ways to get to the far east of Mexico. It’s a long way and the stretches between stops grow longer. At least when you get to Campeche the roads improve drastically (and are free). We took the coastal route through Ciudad del Carmen (which looks interesting in its own right). From here most of the way to Campeche is flat and fast and always insight of the ocean. It’s just endless empty white sand and blue waters – very nice. However, there is a really ugly bit before Ciudad del Carmen that almost ruins the whole thing. Rutted, slow as anything, topes and more topes it’s not nice for your car. So, you may choose to go the inland way, way around the lagoon. It’s still pretty quick but not so pretty out the window.]
